Online retail environments, allowing the purchase of online content (e.g., a game, music, magazine article, newspaper article, etc.), are rapidly increasing and expanding. Customers making online purchases currently submit credit card information online or call a customer service number to relay credit card information in order for the customer to provide payment for the online purchases. Many customers are wary of submitting personal and/or credit card information online and therefore refrain from making online purchases.
Currently gift certificates or pre-paid gift cards are available for purchase from a brick and mortar retailer. However, the gift cards are utilized for purchasing items in the store and not at the store's internet location online. In many cases, the gift certificate or gift card may only be utilized to purchase items sold at the retailer at which the gift card is purchased. Although credit cards can be used in both a brick and mortar retailer and at many internet retailers, some customers do not want to reveal their credit card information to every internet retailer from which they purchase items or services. Some online services, such as PayPal, allow consumers to “hide” credit card information from internet retailers and also allow consumers to purchase merchandise from them. Still, a consumer must enter the credit card information online, then the information is hidden from retailers, which may not be desirable for some consumers.
Therefore, there is a need for a secure payment option for customers without a credit card or for those reluctant to provide personal and/or credit card information online. There is also a need for a type of gift card that can be purchased at a brick and mortar retailer, but can be used to purchase goods or services from a variety of interne retailers.